The Road
by firefox08
Summary: Timelines are finicky things. Little decisions create new ones, ones that are similar, but not quite the same. In one of these alternate timelines, Frisk isn't a pacifist- he's a rugged street kid that does what he has to do. The road to pacifism is a long one. And who is this weird Gaster fellow that shows up at the most convenient times? Male Frisk. Undertale AU. T to be safe.
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

Down the Rabbit Hole

The stars twinkle tentatively against the blanket of darkness hanging overhead. My footfalls crunch loudly as I trudge up the mountains, trying to navigate without the light of the moon. The trees tower above me forebodingly, bare branches reaching like claws. I shiver against the autumn breeze that whips past, but forge onward. Go to the top of Mt. Ebott at night and come back. Sounded simple enough. Putting the words to action proves to be a little bit harder. I freeze as I think I hear something moving in the night, but it's just a twig rubbing against a tree trunk.

So why the hell am I walking at night, near winter, up a mountain that legend says no one returns from? Well, the answer is actually pretty simple. I've managed pretty well on the streets by myself since the old folk passed away, but I got an invitation to join The Family. They could take care of me better than I could by myself and better than those foster parents did. All I got to do is one last test to prove myself, and I'm in.

I squint as I walk under some pine trees that block out the little light out. I can't really see five feet in front of me. I cry out as my foot catches on a root and I go tumbling forward. 'Course, I expect to faceplant on the leafy forest floor. Instead, I keep going. My heart's thumping, the world's spinning, darkness crawling in from all sides. My teeth chatter violently, not just from the cold, but from a sudden realization. I'm going to die. Just turned thirteen, and now I'm falling, and gonna either die from the impact, or be trapped wherever I end up.

And no one will notice.

Twelve years, and I don't have anyone that will even think of me. No one will shed a tear for Frisk Cullhed. No one will remember. I'll die without ever have making a difference.

I scream, clenching my teeth, eyes traitorously streaming tears. I will not die like this. I won't! I'm still falling, a cold draft rising up from whatever kind of cavern I'm going into. I curl into a ball, holding onto that single thought. I will not die. I will live. I will make a difference in someone's life. I will make friends. I will grow up and be happy. I won't just disappear.

I black out.

* * *

 **(A/N)** : I feel like I should give more background to this fanfic. First it was a, hey, what would happen if Frisk was a normal human that got scared and retaliated when some monsters like Undyne or Muffet attacked them? Then (cause I'm obsessed with Gaster) I was like, what if Gaster was in there somewhere? Okay, so it sounds a little lame when I put it like that, but bear with me because the story itself will get better (I think). Second fanfic, constructive criticism welcome, please enjoy!


	2. Filled with Determination

Filled with Determination

I wake up on a small bed of golden flowers. I blink wearily and look around, trying to get my bearings. Where am I? What am I doing here? The memories come back in a flood, as does an intense pain in my head and all over my body, really. I rub my arm grumpily and glance up. Warm sunlight streams in from a giant opening in the ground, the giant maw that swallowed me up. I force myself to my feet, gauging the distance back to the above ground. Probably... five, no six trees tall? I take an experimental step forward and grimace as my leg almost gives out from under me. That's not gonna happen. I glance around for anything that could help me. Instead, I see an opening in the wall. I can't see where it leads. I glance back up and the circle of blue overhead. I draw in a deep breath and start walking down the tunnel.

Mostly it's the left side of my body that hurts. My left leg smarts horribly as I continue my trek down the tunnel as it turns sharply. I lean against the wall for a moment and find that it's smooth. Curious, I keep running my hands along it. It's completely smooth, polished even. I continue on, one hand on the wall for support. Sometimes my hand passes over a little crack, but otherwise it's like...

 _Like someone built this and has been taking care of it._

All type of bells are going off in my head. I glance over my shoulder. The sunlight from earlier seems a distant thing now. I look ahead. Another smaller patch of ground is illuminated and I think there are some more flowers growing there. I push on until I find myself face to face with a single golden flower growing determinedly in the small amount of sunlight. I squint, looking around, but it's all dark. I let out a small defeated breath.

"Howdy!"

I yelp, jumping back and frantically looking around.

"I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower!" I freeze and look down at the flower. It opens up two beady black eyes and looks up at me, grinning. I stare down at the thing, completely dumbfounded. "You're new to the underground, aren'tcha? Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to show you how things work around here. I guess little ol' me will have to do."

I'm only half listening to what the flower says. There's a friggin _talking flower._ That's not normal, right? I must have hit my head too hard when I fell. There's no such thing as magic. And there's no possible way science could explain this. So, yeah.

I scream as the world fades into black and white around me. The flower keeps talking like nothing happened. Or maybe he's explaining something. My heart's thudding too loud for me to hear. I scream again as I feel something get ripped out of me. It's impossible to describe the sensation any other way. A little red heart floats in front me. Experimentally, I try to touch it and find my hand just phase through. Okay, now I'm totally freaked out. I hear the flower- no, Flowey- say that it is my soul, the very culmination of my being. That is not comforting. I stumble back and fall on my butt. The flower just goes on and tells me to catch the friendliness pellets to get some love.

That... doesn't sound good. No one is kind just to be kind. They don't just freely share love. It's a kill or be killed world. But I don't know how to get my soul to move. I scramble to the side, but my soul is stationary. I gasp as the pellets hit my soul. Above it I see a little green bar. It turns red with just a sliver of green. 01/20 it reads. Strange though. I know that if that health bar reaches zero, I'll die, but it doesn't even hurt. Doesn't stop me from totally freaking out though. I scream again as the flower's face turns demonic and he starts talking to me in a harsh, gravelly voice.

"You idiot." He says, a cruel smile playing on his circular flower face. "In this world, it's KILL or BE KILLED. DIE."

I'm surrounded by a ring of pellets. Or more accurately my soul is. I'm treated to the flower's demonic laughter as I watch him slowly close in the sphere around my soul.

Did I seriously just survive a fall impossible to survive to die by a friggin _talking flower?_ What the hell? No. No way. I'm not dying here... but what can I do?

Nothing. I can do nothing. But I won't die. Not like this.

Suddenly, the pellets disappear. All my pain melts away and I see my health bar fill up green. I look at Flowey curiously, but he seems just as confused as me. Then a little ball of fire appears next to him and knocks him off into the darkness of the cave or room or whatever I'm in. I watch dumbstruck as a goat looking thing walk ups to me. She wears a purple dress and has white fur that at least looks super soft. She gives me a gentle smile

She speaks in a matronly voice. "What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..." _Yeah, real poor and innocent._ "Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins...I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs."

I cautiously get to my feet and follow the goat thing. She leads me to a huge hall. I hadn't been able to see in the darkness before, but the whole place is purple. Well, more like a dark lavender? I dunno and frankly don't really care. Toriel smiles at me when she sees me watching her. She climbs to the top of a staircase and waits for me to climb up. I look around for a moment. I think about the two close encounters with death I just had. I take a deep breath. I will live through this, whatever this is and wherever it leads me. The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling me with determination.


	3. Battle Without Blows

Battle without Blows

As Toriel leads me through the Ruins explaining the puzzles I think back suddenly to a much simpler time. A quieter time filled with happiness. A time with a mother who would tell me stories to help me fall asleep at night. Toriel actually reminds me of her. Maybe that's why I abruptly remembered the story. Of humans and monsters. How humans sealed monsters away after the war. In the underground. Sealed away by a barrier. But... it was just a story, wasn't it?

Toriel finally leads me to a small L shaped room with a training dummy. She tells me that as a human living in the underground monsters may attack me. _Yes, finally! Something I can actually do!_ She tells me to strike up a friendly conversation with the monster until she can come to resolve the issue. I look at her, somewhere between mystified and horrified. I'm about to say wouldn't it just be easier to fight back, but she instructs me to try it out on the dummy. I bite my tongue, a little annoyed, but I decide to humor her. I walk up to the dummy and say that it's stuffing looks like it was mass produced by a factory. Toriel seems pleased and for some reason, I find myself relishing in her fond smile.

 _Don't get too attached._ I silently chide myself as Toriel leads me to the next room. _You're leaving as soon as she leads you out of this place._

In the next room as I'm following Toriel, the world turns white and black again. I stumble back, remembering Flowey and his echoing laughter, but instead a frog hops up in front of me. I see my soul come out again, floating peacefully in front of my chest. I look back up to the frog who seems to be waiting for something.

"Um..."

"It is your turn. You must bring up the menu, my child. Try tapping on your soul. I'm sorry, I assumed you knew how Battle worked."

I glance behind my shoulder at Toriel who smiles encouragingly at me. I frown and tap on my soul. Four buttons appear: Fight, Act, Items, and Mercy. I cock my head at them and experimentally tap Fight. A new menu pops up with one option on it- Froggit. I glance at the monster still in front of me and wonder if that's Froggit. I hear Toriel give a displeased snort of air from behind me at my lingering over the Fight option. I press the little back button and click the Act button this time. Check, Compliment, and Threaten are the new options. I smirk and press the Threaten. A new menu pops up that says "I'm gonna punch your stupid frog face". A box appears above Froggit that reads 'Froggit didn't understand what you said, but was threatened anyway'. I give a bemused smile at that one, but before anything else happens, Toriel walks up to the Froggit and gives him a stern look. He hops away, frowning.

Toriel rests a hand on my head and I tense under her touch. But she just affectionately rubs my head and says, "That was very well done my child! But maybe next time, you could be a little nicer to the monster? Froggits are very kind monsters. If you just compliment them, I'm sure they won't want to fight anymore."

Toriel gives me a little look that tells me she knows I want to fight more than I want to spare. It's not a happy look. I feel a sudden, foreign pang of guilt strike through my chest. For some reason I don't want to disappoint this motherly goat monster. I nod, feeling a strange warm feeling spread in my chest. Toriel smiles and continues leading me through the ruins.


	4. Sticks and Dust

Sticks and Dust

I pass Toriel's 'test' on my independence. I snort after she walks off to run her errand. Just how old does she think I am? I obediently wait in the hall for a few minutes before I get bored and go into the next room. There's another Froggit sitting by the door and I watch him with a careful amount of caution before approaching him. The monochrome of Battle doesn't appear, so I assume he doesn't wanna fight. I purse my lips a little and look at him. A text box appears above him asking me to show some Mercy if a monster doesn't want to fight anymore and spare them. I hesitate before nodding and slipping away. He watches me go with a heavy gaze. The corridor I'm in continues down, but I spy a doorway just up ahead and go through that. There's a bowl full of little wrapped candies. There's a little sign that reads: 'Monster Candy. Please Take One'. I smirk. _Don't mind if I do..._

I finger the candies in my pocket as I continue to walk down the corridor. So I may have knocked the bowl over when I took one too many candies, but hey, I needed them. It is what it is.

I start whistling as I stride down the hall. I take a sharp intake of breath as the world fades to that of Battle. A little monster that reminds me of a gnat flutters up to me. He looks absolutely terrified. I just raise an eyebrow and smack Act. I grin as I jab the Terrorize option. The monster- Whimsun- runs before a text box even appears with whatever I would have done to scare him more than he already was.

I keep going, sparing Froggits and Whimsuns as I trot along, a merry tune escaping my pursed lips. When Battle kicks up again, I smile, finding I like the feeling of not having to fight. A new monster strides up to me, a short cyclops looking thing. I take my turn, hitting first Act, then Pick On. Loox snarls at me and attacks. I yelp, focusing on moving my soul. Even if the attacks hit me, they don't actually do anything; it's only when they hit my soul that there's any consequences. But Froggits had been pretty easy to avoid. I yelp as a dibbit of my health disappears to an attack. I hit the Pick On option again to go through a similar turn. I stare at my options, my face gone slack. The Act isn't working. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. _Sorry Toriel_. I punch the fight button and run up to Loox, screaming. I punch him hard in the face. My punch takes off 1 health. One out of a lot more. Loox smiles maliciously and attacks again. One more hit and I'm done for. I'm panting looking around. I need a weapon if I plan on taking this guy, er, monster down. I pick up a heavy wooden stick lying in the leaves and turn back to the Loox. I hit the Fight button again and this time take off the rest of his health with a last attack. I sigh deeply as Color comes pouring back to the world. I stare at the pile of dust the monster left when I defeated him.

No. No, I killed him. My hands shake as I realize that. On the streets, you did what you had to do. I've had to kill animals before, but never something like this. This wasn't a person, but it was still a creature with hopes and dreams. And I snatched them all away.

I shake my head a little and press on, stepping over the white pile. Shouldn't have gotten in my way. You do what you have to do. In this world, it's kill or be killed.


	5. House

House

My voice trembles when Toriel calls me and asks me if I prefer cinnamon or butterscotch, but I don't think she notices. I continue on until I find a room with a spider bake sale. I buy two donuts but find I don't have an appetite for them. I sigh and stash them in my new handy inventory. I trudge on, exhausted and guilt ridden. I solve the puzzles methodically.

When I meet up with Toriel again, she heals me and leads me on, oblivious to how my eyes water at her kindness. She heads into a little house and I lag behind her for a moment.

I take a deep breath. I killed someone. I killed someone. There was no other way... was there? Maybe there had been. Maybe I could have resolved it peacefully. But that's in the past. There are no do overs. I did what I could, what I had to. If he didn't want to get hurt, he shouldn't have attacked me. I will survive no matter what, even if that means turning some monsters into dust. I take another deep breath, the guilt being pushed to the back of my mind. Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins gives me determination.

I follow Toriel into the house. She grins at me. "Surprise! Do you smell that? It is butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I've decided to make you a treat and will hold off on snail pie for tonight. Come! I have another surprise for you." She offers me her hand and I tentatively take it, loving how her fur is like a soft blanket. She leads me down the hall to the right until we come to a door. "This will be your room. I want you to be comfortable here." She rubs my head again, so gently.

"Thank you." I breathe, throat tightening a little.

She merely smiles and walks off. I watch her go and enter my room. It's pretty big as rooms go. There's a bed against the wall with a chest of toys at its foot, but I've never been into toys. The rug laid on the ground is plush and I take my shoes and socks off so I can curl my toes into its softness. There's a tall lamp in the corner, but I can't reach around the closet to turn it on. There are a couple of shelves with different little knick-knacks. There's another small chest next to this, but it's locked. There's another little lamp in the upper left-hand corner and I turn this one on and marvel how the entire room fills with light before clicking it off again. I study the drawing of a golden flower hanging of the wall. It's a little crude, like it was drawn by a kid. I flop down on the bed and stare up at the ceiling. Admittedly, it's been awhile since I've laid on a bed and this one is super comfortable with a warm, soft blanket to boot. My eyelids begin to droop.

My mind is spinning with everything that's happened recently. I fell down and should have died, but instead I'm in this strange bedtime story world with a goat monster that is sickeningly like my deceased mom. I almost got killed by an evil talking flower, then went off and killed a monster. And this place functions strangely like a videogame, but I'm not complaining. My eyes snap open as I realize something. Toriel said it's been a long time since a human fell down here. That means that there may be other humans down here. Considering what Toriel's given me so far, I doubt anymore that she'll just let me leave this place. I may need the help of the other humans if they're still down here. Or I can find out how they escaped. Or... there may be one other thing that happened to them, something I shy away from. I take a deep breath, my mind made up, and drift off into sleep.


	6. Home

Home

When I wake up, I yawn drowsily, sitting up with a content smile on my face. At some point while I was sleeping, Toriel must have come and pulled the blanket over me. I stand up and find another kind gesture from her on my floor- a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie. It looks soooo good, but I still don't really feel like eating. I stow it away in my inventory and peek out into the hallway. I don't hear anything and don't see any movement. I pause to put my shoes back on then walk out, heading to what I think is a living room.

I jump as I slip in and find Toriel sitting there, reading a book. She's so engrossed she doesn't even notice me. I hesitate before going back and exploring the rest of the house first. The thought of going downstairs is unsettling for some reason and I don't go down there. Toriel's room is neat and cute like the rest of the house, and she seems to like puns judging by her journal. The room under renovations give me slight pause before I'm off looking around in the kitchen. If I couldn't bring myself to eat the slice, there's no way I could eat the rest of the pie. I see a little sign hanging on the wall that reads "It's love that makes a house a home." I glance over my shoulder at the pie resting on the counter. This is definitely a home.

Finally, I take a deep breath and walk up to Toriel. She still doesn't notice me even when I'm standing right next her. I clear my throat and she glances up. She squeals with delight when she sees me and goes on excitedly to tell me about how much fun I'll have living with her, about how she's prepared a curriculum for my education-

"Toriel." I interrupt her. The gravity of my voice makes her stop and blink down at me. "When can I go home?"

The look of pain and uncertainty that flashes across her face is almost unbearable. "W-what? This... this _is_ your home now." She looks away nervously before gesturing to her book. "Would you like to hear about this book I am reading? It-"

"Toriel."

She flinches and looks back at me, eyes filled with pain and fear. She takes a deep breath. "Stay here. There is something I must do."

I watch silently as she rushes off somewhere, dreading what comes next. I slowly bring myself to head downstairs, knowing innately that is where she has gone.

My footsteps echo in the eerily quiet purple corridor. I see Toriel standing up ahead. When I get closer, I can see her shaking, gently as always. "At the end of this corridor is the exit you seek to the rest of the underground." She throws me an icy glare over her shoulder. "I am going to destroy it. Do not try to stop me. Be a good child and go upstairs." _Well I've never been all that good..._

She rushes off again, but this time I'm ready. I chase her and when I catch up, she stops again. "Foolish child." She says it in that same cold voice, devoid of the motherly love she displayed earlier. _Like Mom when she got angry._ "I have seen it before with the humans that fell before you. They come. They leave. They die. Foolish child," she repeats herself, "if you continue they... Asgore... will kill you. Go to your room. This is your final warning."

She keeps going. I hesitate, considering my options. I could go back upstairs like Toriel told me, but then I'd be trapped down here. Was that really such a bad thing though? Toriel... is willing to take me in, care for me. Love me. What is waiting for me back up there anyway? People who hate me, who want to hurt me. She just wants to protect me.

But there's a nagging thought in the back of my mind. I need to go home. I need to. I want to stay with Toriel, but I need to go home. It's in that moment that a crazy thought pops into my head. I can do both. It might be hard, but as the story goes, there's a barrier sealing this place from the rest of the world. If I want to go home, I'll have to break it. And if it's broken, then she can come up there, with me. We can live together, above ground. She must want that after being trapped here for so long. I nod determinedly to myself and press on.

I find Toriel standing before a giant door, one hand resting on it. "Do you really want to leave that badly?" Her voice is a pained whisper that sticks a dagger in my heart. She turns to me, her eyes dead, hands glowing with fire magic. "Prove to me." I smile and open my mouth to explain, but she cuts me off. "Prove to me you are strong enough to survive!"

Please, I want to say, the dagger twisting. Please, don't do this. But my throat tightens and I can't speak.

No. Not Toriel.

I take a deep breath as Battle initiates. Maybe... maybe I can solve this peacefully. Toriel is all about the whole not fighting thing. I avoid the look Toriel is giving me and hit the Act. The only thing besides Check is Talk. I tap the button, already knowing I don't know what to say, and the box informs me of that very thing. I yelp as I endure an onslaught of fire magic. One turn and half my health is gone. I desperately try Talk again, but with the same result. I'm left with a measly two HP. I stare at my options. I glance at Toriel whose stony expression hasn't changed in the slightest. I grip my stick so hard my knuckles turn white. I clench my teeth and ever so slowly, ever so gently, lay my hand resignedly on the Fight button. Even when Toriel doesn't let her attacks hit me, I keep going.

I swing again and my heart breaks. Her HP bar hits zero. She falls to one knee. "And to think..." She wheeze out, eyes closed. "I was afraid you wouldn't fit in out there." She looks up at me, her eyes filled with regret and pain and loneliness. I gape at her, mortified. She crumbles to dust, laughing.

Color returns, but all I see is the white pile of dust in front of me. Toriel who saved me from Flowey. Toriel who led me through the Ruins. Toriel who invited me in her home, who baked me a pie, who just wanted to protect me. Dead. I killed her.

The stick clatters to the ground. I collapse onto the floor, a sob ripping its way out of my throat. Toriel who would have taken care of me, who would have loved me like the woman who did so long ago. Gone. Because she wouldn't let me go on without proving my strength.

Didn't she understand? I couldn't stay down here. I belong above. I need to go back. She could have come too, if only I could have found the words. But, no. The moment I faced opposition, I treated her like I had treated Loox. The second things went south, I met it with brute force.

And look where that's got me.

My sobs echoing loudly in the corridor, up into the home. The place where Toriel used to live, used to share her love and mercy. But it's not a home anymore. I've taken that love from this world. Without love, there is no home. There is just an empty, lonely house, echoing with the sobs of everything that could have been.


	7. Reset

Reset

Eventually, after I've successfully cried my eyes out and let the ache in my chest subside, I carefully step around the pile of dust to push open the huge door. If Toriel had to die for this, I better damn well press on. The door grinds loudly as it slides across the stone. The hall beyond is dark, so I keep one hand pressed along the wall to guide me. Eventually, it opens up to a huge room with a spot of sunlight in the center. I cautiously walk toward it. _No,_ I plead silently, _Please, not now._

Flowey waits for me, smiling. "I hope you like your choice. After all, it's not as if you can go back and change fate. In this world, it's kill or be killed. That old hag thought she could break the rules. She tried so hard to save you humans. But when it came down to it...Hee hee...SHE COULDN'T EVEN SAVE HERSELF. WHAT AN IDIOT!"

He starts laughing maniacally at me again. I clench my fists. " _Shut up._ "

Flowey stops and looks at me. "What are you going to do? Cry? Or are you gonna kill me too?" Flowey breaks into that horrible, smile again. "I bet you would like that. Got a taste of blood, now your thirst can't be sated, huh?"

"SHUT UP!" I run at him, summoning my stick from out of my inventory and swinging it viciously. Flowey tucks into the ground, cackling. His cruel laughter echos all around, threatening to drive me insane. I stop, panting, as the laughter fades away.

"Damn weed," I mutter, letting the stick slip from my grasp. I turn around and go back the way I came. I pass the pile of dust and begin the long trek back to the house. "I know I can't go back. No matter how much I wish." I climb up the stairs slowly, painfully. The fire in the hearth has long since burned out without a kind goat monster to tend to it. The pie sits quaintly on the counter, waiting to be eaten. The rooms are still in pristine condition, except for my bed where the blanket has been crumpled. I trudge out the door and flop down beneath the huge tree and stare up at the ceiling of the cavern, feeling so empty. I can't even look up into the blueness of the sky. A pang of homesickness strikes through me. Just how far am I willing to go to get rid of that feeling?

Shouldn't have been this far. I curl up into a ball, wishing more than anything that I could go back. Go back and fix my mistakes. Of course, nothing happens. I sit up, sighing hollowly. I'm not a little kid anymore; I can't wish for the impossible and get it. I've wished plenty of times for my mom and dad to come back. But there are no do-overs in this world.

I climb to my feet, feeling a warm feeling flow through my chest. It's different from the feeling Toriel's kindness gave me. I look back at the house, that feeling growing stronger. I've taken a great thing from this world so that I can keep going. I will keep going. Wherever this leads me, I have to go for what I've done.

I'm filled with determination. It's not like the times before. This time, there's more meaning behind the feeling, more drive. I will keep going. I will get to the end.

I see something shine among the leaves. Curious, I walk over to look at it. As I approach, I see it's a yellow light in the shape of a star and it floats up to meet me. I wait nervously, but nothing happens, so I tap on it. Like when in battle, a screen pops up. It reads "Chara, LVL 20". There are three options below it. Save, Continue, and Reset.

Who's Chara? The last human to fall down? My eyes are drawn to the last option. Reset. Reset what? To when? Seeing as this place is like a video game, continue would mean to keep going and save would mean to record my progress so far. But my progress in what? In the underground? Did that mean that... I could reset to when I got here? That I could go back and fix my mistakes, find a way to save Loox and Toriel?

That should be impossible. Yet, here the button is, tempting me with the possibility. I could go back. I hesitate, hand hovering above the button, but what have I got to lose? I slam my hand down on it.

For a moment everything goes dark and I close my eyes.

I wake up on a bed of golden flowers.

It takes me a moment to orient myself, but once I do, I'm up, limping my way down the hall as fast as I can. I finally find myself in Battle with a certain talking flower that doesn't seem to know all this has already happened. I dodge the pellets to stall for time and smile when he gets mad. Then she comes.

She flings Flowey away. A sob escapes my throat when she smiles down at me. I run to her, clutching her dress and burying my face in it.

"Oh you poor child, you must be so afraid..." Toriel makes soothing noises and strokes my head gently, which only makes me cry harder. But despite my tears, I smile into the purple fabric. I got to reset. I got my second chance.

I can head back home.


	8. Mercy

Mercy

Back to this. Toriel peers down her snout dispassionately at me. I tentatively tap the Act button and try Talk. The text box pops up, informing me of what I already know. I think of telling her how I saw her die... but that's creepy. Toriel looks at me curiously. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you know something that I do not..?" She trails off before shaking her head. "No, that is impossible." The text box pops up again reading, "Is there a way to show mercy without fighting or running away?"

Is there? I scowl as my turn comes back around and I'm left back with my options. I won't Fight again and Act isn't working. I knit my eyebrows together. _Maybe..._ I tap the Mercy and hit Spare. Toriel doesn't respond, just goes about her turn. I do it again. The same response. I try again.

"What are you doing?"

I'm actually surprised when Toriel speaks. I repress a smile and do Spare again.

"Stop that." Again. "Attack or run away!" _I will never hurt you again._

"Stop looking at me like that." Again.

"I know you want to go home but..." Again.

"I can take care of you. We can be happy here." Once more.

"Please," she pleads, "go upstairs. We can have a good life here."

She's silent the next turn. She smiles the turn after that, then full out laughs. "Pathetic, is it not?" She closes her eyes, a pained smile playing on her face. "I cannot save even a single child." She looks back up at me, still smiling. "I understand. The Ruins are quite small once you get used to them. You would only be unhappy trapped down here." Battle fades, but Toriel keeps talking. "It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... my fear... my loneliness... for you, my child, I will cast them aside. When you leave here, please don't come back." She rubs her hands together, looking on the brink of tears. "I hope you understand." She steps up and hugs me. The action is unexpected to say the least and I'm stunned, but eventually I wrap my arms around her as well. We stay in that picture perfect frame for a moment, before she releases me and leaves. I look back, as does she, and I find myself smiling at her. She smiles back, then we both turn around and go our separate ways.

 _I'll come back for you,_ I promise silently, opening the heavy stone door into the next room. _Then we can live together happily above ground._

* * *

 **(A/N): Sorry for the inactivity, peep who is following this story. Busy with school and laziness. I actually have the next several chapters written, but I like to try and keep my uploads consistent so I'll upload them periodically after I've revised them a couple times. Posting two chapters today since I have been inactive and this one is really short. From here on out, the story will be a little different than the game. You have been warned.**

 **Hope you like it! Please give me feedback! It makes me determined to keep writing!**


	9. Chilled to the Bone

Chilled to the Bone

Flowey is waiting for me again. He's smiling, amused by something. "Veeeery clever. You think you're so clever, don'tcha? You spared the life of one person. " He grins that horrible gaping grin that a flower should not be able to do, "But I know what you did. You murdered her. Then you felt bad and went back. The power to 'Save'. The power to play God! I knew that power. I used to have it too. But it seems your desires for this world override mine. I can't save anymore. So go ahead, do what you want to. You're not above consequences. You can't get away from your mistakes forever. I'll be watching." He laughs demonically, flower face seemingly popping out of its petal ring, and tucks back into the ground before I can react. I sigh, but force myself to smile. So, Flowey knows about the reset. Somehow, I had a feeling he would. But I can't afford to let him get to me now.

I shuffle through the room, warily keeping my hands out in front of me so I don't run into anything in the darkness. My hands reach rough stone and I push. The door opens, this one every bit as heavy as the last one. I'm almost blinded when the door opens. Beyond is snow-covered path lined with evergreen trees. I can't tell where the light is coming from, but all I know is that after the darkness of the Ruins, it hurts.

I bat my eyes, hugging myself. I fell in wearing a tattered sweater- not nearly enough for this kind of chill. But then I'm thinking of Toriel and my ache to go back above with her and my determination is enough to stave off the cold, at least for now.

I begin to trudge through the snow toward some sort of structure ahead, but I can't tell what from this distance. It's eerily quiet. In the Ruins, there had been the crackling of fire, the rustle of monsters in the leaves, and all sort of other little noises. Here, my footsteps might as well be cannon shots. I step carefully over a stick in the path, not wanting to break the silence more than necessary. I keep on going and stop before the structure. It's a wooden bridge with bars coming down on it, but I could easily fit through. I look behind, considering if there may be another way around, or if this is a trap.

When I turn back around, a monster is standing right in front of me.

I yelp, falling back hard on my butt. I stare up at the monster looking down at me. It's standing against the light, so I can't get a good look. "Human." it says, voice masculine and a little gravelly, like he's not used to speaking, "That's what you are, right?" He makes a _tsk_ sound then says, "Ah, but where are my manners?" He offers me a hand, which I only stare at then scream. It's not the hand of a monster- it's a skeleton hand with a hole in the middle. The monster takes a step back, probably in surprise at my outburst, and now I can see that he is, in fact, a skeleton. He's huge, probably seven feet tall, with a thick black sweater and black slacks. His eye sockets are lit up with two glowing points of light and have long cracks extending from them. He holds his hands, which both have holes straight through the middle of them, up as a gesture of goodwill. "Easy, easy. I mean you no harm child. I am..." He trails off before snapping upright. He gestures me to follow. "Quickly now, we haven't a moment to spare. My nephew comes, looking for a human like you. Come now, through the gate. He built this but made the bars to wide to stop anyone." The skeleton monster turns around and walks forward a couple paces before glancing over his shoulder and motioning for me to follow again.

It could be a trap. It probably is. If I run, there's about no chance I could get away from something with such long legs. With a sharp intake of breath, I nod and scramble after him.

He points off to the side. "Hurry, behind that conveniently shaped lamp."

I follow his finger to where a lamp sits, the exact shape and size of me. I snicker before remembering the seriousness of the situation and jump behind it. For a moment everything is silent and my mind is whirring. This is probably a trap. Any moment, I'll look over my shoulder and find death waiting there. I glance over my shoulder to where Gaster is milling about a few yards away. Okay, maybe not. My mind moves on. There's a skeleton monster. Maybe it's not even a skeleton at all; maybe it's another fallen human. But what could have happened to him? And why am I hiding from his nephew?

"UNCLE GASTER!"

"Ah, Papyrus," the skeleton monster- Gaster- says, smiling a somehow soft skeletal smile. "I am sorry if I startled you. I thought I had seen a human, but it was only my imagination."

From around my hiding spot, I see a new skeleton enter the scene. He wearing a red scarf and some sort of weird white armor that only protects his ribs and pelvis. He wears a huge skeletal grin. "FEAR NOT, UNCLE, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM HERE TO PROTECT YOU." Papyrus looks around before nodding affirmatively. "INDEED, THERE SEEMS TO BE NO HUMAN HERE. HOWEVER, UNCLE, AS A FELLOW SENTRY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE YOURSELF AGAINST HUMANS."

Gaster shakes his head, replying softly, "Papyrus, I've told you, I'm not a sentry."

"NONSENSE! YOU CAN BE ANYTHING IF YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT!" Papyrus poses heroically. "JUST HOW LIKE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN I WILL GET EVERYTHING I UTTERLY DESERVE: RESPECT, RECOGNITION... I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! I'LL BE ASKED TO BE F-FRIENDS!? I WILL BE A SUPERSTAR!"

"Really?" Gaster says, perking up and smiling mischievously. "I'm fairly certain you are, and will always be, a skeleton."

Papyrus throws a glare at Gaster. "UNCLE PLEASE."

Gaster shrugs, smile growing a little bigger. "Apologies, it was a _femur_ attempt at a joke."

"UNCLE!"

Gaster chuckles. "Come now, you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT!'

"Well, I suppose I could _chill_ out on the jokes."

Papyrus begins to stomp his foot fervently. "UNCLE! I'M LEAVING NOW! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL NOT STAND FOR SUCH HORRIBLE HUMOR!"

Gaster sighs, but is still smiling. "I suppose it wasn't very _humerous_."

Papyrus storms away without another word. I slip out from behind my hiding place and up to Gaster. He smiles down at me. "You should probably get going." He says, adjusting the end of his sleeves. "Papyrus might come back and if he does..." Gaster trails off glancing up at me gravely, before smiling suddenly again. "You'll have to go through more of my hilarious jokes."

I find myself giggling, then groaning. I nod and begin to stomp through the snow. "Ah, child?" I turn back to Gaster who steeples his fingers together for a moment before continuing, "Papyrus has been... upset lately. You see, I used to have two nephews. The other worked at my lab when I was still the Royal Scientist down here, but there was an accident. He saved me, but lost his life in the process." Gaster cocks his head at me. "If you could, could you play along with Papyrus? I think it would, ah, lift his spirits if he met you. Do not fret though. Try as he may, my nephew is not very dangerous." Gaster pauses expectantly. I nod reluctantly which makes him smile at me. "Thank you. I will go ahead. And do not worry," he adds, "I will keep an eye socket out for you."

He then turns and walks in the opposite direction that Papyrus went. I blink and he disappears. I look around, a shiver crawling up my back, but not from the cold. Where did he go? Can... he teleport? That would make sense with how he appeared suddenly earlier.

I suck in a lungful of the frosty air and exhale slowly as I walk. I enter a clearing with two paths. I pause to think and gather my thoughts. Gaster and Papyrus don't seem to be a threat. Well, maybe Papyrus because of the whole 'I'll capture a human and become a celebrity' thing. Though, Gaster did say he wasn't anything to worry about. That brings up another thing- Gaster's a scientist. Or well, he said he used to work as one. Can he be trusted? He might just be trying to lure me into a false sense of security so he can experiment on me. Just because Toriel was nice to me, doesn't mean every monster will be. There's evidence enough of that from all the monsters that attacked me in the Ruins.

I shake my head in an attempt to throw the thoughts away. Worrying about all of this isn't going to help much. It's not like I have many options here. I can't go back to the Ruins, not yet at least. I can only keep pressing on. And sure, while I'm at it, if it's not a giant trap, I'll cheer up this Papyrus fellow. I mean, it's what Toriel would want me to do, and where's the harm in it?

I spy a box sitting in the snow and approach it, half expecting it to be alive too. I cautiously open it. There's a boxing glove inside. I frown, gaze shifting to the sign next to the box. It explains the function of putting things in and being able to take them out later from other boxes. Man, magic is weird. I take the glove and examine it in my inventory. It's a weapon, but I feel too attached to my stick to just throw it away. I eventually toss the stick into the box and turn around. My eyes rest on the sentry station and lamp in the distance.

The convenience of that lamp still fills me with determination. Almost obediently, a save point manifests by me. I hesitate before saving over my last one, the one in front of Toriel's house. It's still there. Reset. In the end, if I mess up, I can just reset and fix my mistakes. I will find a way to break the barrier. No matter what it takes. I look ahead to where I hear voices drifting from. Here and now, though, I have some skeletons to handle.

* * *

( **A/N): So here it is. I got a little lazy with Gaster's description but y'know, if you're a big enough nerd like me to read Undertale fanfiction, you probably know what Gaster looks like. Idk. Also please don't hate cuz I took Sans out! Sans is my favorite so know that he won't be completely out of this story...hehehe... Anyway, hope you liked it!**


	10. A Warm Gift

A Warm Gift

"OH MY GOD." Papyrus turns away to speak 'quietly' with Gaster while still shouting. "GASTER, IS THAT...A HUMAN?!"

I'm standing about fifteen paces away from them, trying not to break out into a smile. "Hmmm..." Gaster muses, tapping a finger against the side of his skull. "White... soft... cold..." Gaster trails off before announcing. "I believe that is snow."

"OH." Papyrus and Gaster turn my way again before Papyrus gasps. He whirls back around and Gaster follows suit, keeping his face carefully blank. "WHAT'S THAT ON TOP OF THE SNOW?"

They turn back to me, and again, Gaster lifts a finger to click on the side of his cranium. "Two arms... two legs... fleshy..." Gaster stands up straight and turns back around to speak with Papyrus. "From my experience," he pauses dramatically, smiling ever so slightly at how Papyrus bounces up and down in anticipation. "I believe so."

Papyrus spins my way again. "OH MY GOD I FINALLY DID IT!" he exclaims. "UNDYNE WILL...I'M GONNA BE... I'LL BE SO..." his words come out disconcerted. "POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR!" I snicker but stop when he continues, only so I can hear him. "HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM GOING TO CAPTURE YOU. YOU WILL THEN BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL. THEN... THEN!" He stops frowning slightly, but even uncertain his voice is still a shout. "I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. IN ANY CASE, CONTINUE ONLY IF YOU DARE!" He runs off laughing wildly. It's unlike anything I've heard before. Like a "Nyeheheheheh". What a dork.

Gaster grins at me. "That went even better than anticipated. He seems to be in much better spirits."

"Gaster." My voice is small despite myself as I look up at the towering skeleton. "Are... you a human?"

The skeleton cocks his head at me, before looking himself up and down. "I do not believe so. Ah, is it because I am a skeleton? Skeletons are monsters just like any other, just with an appearance similar to humans. We may have been some type of ancestor, but no, I'm not a human."

I breathe out a sigh of relief. Good. I did not want him to explain to me how a human became a walking bag of bones and magic. "So, uh, I'm gonna be subjected to a bunch of puzzles and bad puns now, aren't I?"

Gaster blinks at me, or at least darkens his eye sockets then quickly lights them up again. "I have no idea what you mean." He says plainly. "None of my puns are bad."

I giggle, but his face remains completely serious. I trail off awkwardly. "Uh, that was a joke right?"

"Ah yes," Gaster says, smiling slightly and voice turning slightly bitter, "I have been told that beyond wordplay, I have no sense humor. My other nephew used to love it, so it wasn't much of a problem, but I suppose teasing Papyrus is fun enough."

I just nod slowly, unsure how to respond.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Gaster reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a box. "Here, I noticed your attire was not suitable for this kind of weather, considering you are a human. I hope it fits, I was unsure of the dimensions."

I open the plain white box warily, but smile gratefully up at Gaster at what I find inside. I pull out a pink and blue striped sweater and slip it over my head. It's fluffy and made of warm cotton. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, child. Now, I will go ahead with Papyrus, and thank you again for this." Gaster pats me on the head, and I'm slightly taken aback by the action, but then he's off, leaving a trail of slipper footprints in the snow right next to the one of boots. I smile, rolling my shoulders to break in my gift. I don't know much about them, but I'll puzzle out Gaster and Papyrus while I'm on my way back to the surface.

...And yes, pun intended.


	11. Blue Magic

Blue Magic

I grin at Papyrus's cardboard sentry station. Man that guy is such a dork. Okay, maybe a loveable dork, but a dork nonetheless. The other one by the lamp had been made waaay better. I idly wonder who could have made it as I make my way through the snow. Maybe Gaster's other nephew? That would have made him a sentry, wouldn't it?

"Was something moving?" I freeze as I hear a voice. I turn my head ever so slowly to the side where a dog monster pokes his head up from behind a sentry station. He zeroes his gaze in on my moving head. "If something were moving," He continues, smirking, "for example, a human, I'd have to make sure they never move again!"

The world flickers to monochrome. What? _What?_ Nah. You don't just get to threaten _me_ like that. I curl my hand into a fist inside the tough glove. I won't kill him. I'm just gonna hurt him. I'm not just going to kill monsters cause they insult me. That's just a little extreme.

I attack him then go into his turn. He attacks me with something I've never seen before. The only magic I've seen before has been white with the exception of Toriel's flames, which were red. This is blue. It doesn't as much hit me as it does encompass me. I stumble back, trying to move my soul around to get out of it, and wince as I see my health bar deplete some.

"I can only see and attack things that are moving!" Doggo barks. I throw him a confused look, but I don't think he was so much talking to me as he was just talking (or barking in this case?). I attack him again. The next turn, he attacks me with blue magic again. I keep myself and my soul completely still and grin as my health bar stays where it's at.

Now that his health is pretty low, I go to Act and Pet him. He's surprisingly soft. Doggo freaks out; barking and hopping in the snow, pink tongue lolling out of his mouth. I chuckle after his attack, then spare him.

As battle fades, he looks around nervously. "I got pet by something that wasn't moving." He mutters, eyes narrowing. "I'm gonna need some dog treats for this..." He trails off, sinking back behind the counter of his station.

After another moment of stillness, I sneak out of earshot of the monster and breathe a sigh of relief. I trudge on, toward a certain black-clad skeleton I see leaning against one of the trees lining the path, reading.

"How are you doing child?" Gaster asks, never glancing up and only moving to turn the page.

"I'm okay, I guess." I look past Gaster to survey the surroundings before turning back to him. "Can you explain magic to me?"

Gaster finally flicks his pinpoints of light toward me before closing his book and slipping it into his breast pocket. "Ah, yes, magic in the overworld has been dwindling since monsters left. What would you like to know?"

"Well," I say, slightly exasperated. "Pretty much everything? Why does it only hurt my soul and not me? Follow-up question, why was magic able to heal both my soul and my body? What was up with that blue magic back there?"

"All very good questions." Gaster says, smiling fondly. "Let's see, where to begin... There are three different types of magic. Most monsters have incorporeal magic. Rather than being something tangible and hurting your body, it targets your soul. Then there is magic that affects physical things already present and attack you with them. Despite your soul still being shown in Battle, those attacks will only hurt your body. The last kind is one that only Boss Monsters can use. It is a combination of both. It will hurt both your body and your soul, but generally it takes a lot of energy to use."

"What's a boss monster?" I ask, frowning.

"A boss monster is a monster who has a more powerful soul than a regular monster. A regular monster's soul disappears immediately upon death, but a Boss Monster's soul will stay around a few seconds past that. Now," he continues, shifting his position slightly, "blue magic is one of the many kinds of magic. My nephew actually will use blue magic in your fight if and when it happens. Whenever you're attacked by that magic type, just keep still and you'll be fine."

I nod slowly. All this magic and soul stuff is still taking some getting used to. "Okay, thanks." I hesitate and Gaster cocks his head at me questioningly. "Why am I not hurt when my soul is?"

Gaster does one of his small smiles and rubs his bony hands together giddily. "I've actually conducted research on this topic. I believe that is because your soul is an incorporeal manifestation of your being your physical being is is fine.. All your thoughts, emotions, and ideas are represented by," Gaster says, pointing into my chest, "that little red heart. Thus, the essence of your being is under attack, but your physical being remains untouched."

That... goes over my head a little. "Uh, cool. Thanks for the info, Gast." He nods deeply and pulls out his book again. I clutch the hem of my sweater, facing back to the frozen pond in the distance. Gaster pulls something out of his pocket and begins to write in the book. I frown and turn back to him. "What are you doing?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm recording our conversation. I may have left the position of Royal Scientist, but I'm still a scientist at heart. Before I retired, I had been researching a human trait called determination and its connections with time after several instances of intense deja vu. I haven't been able to find a reason why determination gives the ability to reset timelines, only that it does if there is enough and magic to be found. But, I have found a way to preserve items through the resets, so the journal helps me know what's going on. After all, with a soul so red like yours, your determination must be very strong and who knows when you'll need to reset?"

I stare at him, wide-eyed and taken aback. He _knows_. He knows of my power to reset. And he's saying that my determination fuels this power? That makes sense I guess. But how can he talk about it so nonchalantly? He knows that he might have to go through the same thing over and over until I can get it right and he acts like it's no big deal.

...Is it? "I-I, uh..."

Gaster has enough mercy to spare me a response. "Well, we should both be moving on I believe. Papyrus may begin to become impatient." Gaster scribbles a last note in his journal before patting it away into his pocket and teleporting away. I find myself staring at the spot where he was and wondering what game he's playing at exactly. I shake my head to snap myself out of my daze. Whatever Gaster's doing, I don't think he means me harm. He just seems like an interested scientist. That might not be too good either...

I sigh, breath billowing out in a cloud in front of me. Whatever's going on, it's not like it matters too much. I can always reset. That's the trump card. If I mess up, I can go back. Just like a video game. I'll be fine. I nod determinedly and press on, kept warm by the pink and blue sweater.


	12. Electric Maze

Electric Maze

"Hello. I am a snowman." The snowman's mouth doesn't move an inch, but I can still hear what he's saying.

I eye him, but he seems just like a completely normal snowman. "I can see that."

Since his expression seems to be frozen, I have to listen to his voice to get a sense of his feelings. He ignores my comment, continuing, "I would like to see the world, but I cannot move. Please, traveller, take a piece of me with you on your travels and take it to the ends of the earth."

I blink at the snowman who of course does nothing in response. Finally, I nod. A fist-sized piece of cold snow breaks off from the snowman and floats between us until I grab it and stow it into my inventory. "Please take good care of it."

I nod again before turning on my heel and heading past the frozen lake. I don't know what I expected when I came over here, but it wasn't a talking snowman who wanted me to take him to the ends of the earth. Up ahead, I can see two tall skeletons conversing. As I get closer, I realize I can't hear them at all and what I thought was them talking with their hands is actually them talking with their hands. Sign language, I mean. I stop about twenty paces away from them. Gaster signs something that involves pointing at me, or maybe he's just pointing at me. Papyrus spins to me excitedly. At first, considering the silence of the situation and sheer drops on either side of us, I couldn't keep the sweat off my palms. But seeing Papyrus's goofy grin makes all that tension evaporate.

"OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES!" He salvos. "IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, MY UNCLE AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES!" I groan inwardly. It took me forever to get through all the puzzles in the Ruin. I fight to keep a straight face as he continues to shout. "I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE... QUITE SHOCKING!" I glance at Gaster who's grinning. "FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE," he pulls a pale blue sphere out from who knows where and holds it out in front of him. "THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP! SOUND LIKE FUN? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE WILL ACTUALLY BE MINIMAL I THINK." I smirk and cross my arms challengingly. "OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW."

I glance skeptically at Gaster who gives me a tiny nod, smiling. I take a step forward, my foot ramming into an invisible wall. I jerk my foot back, cringing, but freeze as I hear the sound of something getting electrocuted. I look up to see Papyrus get fried to a black crisp before pounding the ground with his foot again, scowling. "GASTER! WHAT HAPPENED? YOU SAID THE PROGRAMMING WAS ALL CORRECT!"

"I believe the human must hold the orb." He replies smoothly.

Papyrus turns back to me, grinning again. "OH, OKAY." Papyrus strides through the maze, feet knowing exactly where to go to avoid the walls of the maze. He stops before me. "HOLD THIS PLEASE!" He tosses the orb up, running back to his original place beside Gaster. I watch the orb arc up then come back down to land on my head. I grunt, struggling to keep the sphere balanced on my top. "OKAY, TRY NOW!"

I look helplessly to Gaster who nods his head toward the ground. I draw my eyes to what he's motioning to: the footprints left in the snow after Papyrus's trek over here. I almost facepalm at Papyrus's gullibility. I follow his footsteps, stepping out of the maze. "INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!" Papyrus exclaims, narrowing his sockets. "YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY... TOO EASILY!" He perks back up, pointing dramatically at me. I snicker, nudging the orb off my head. "THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE SO EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY UNCLE, GASTER! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM!" Papyrus dashes off with his signature, "NYEHEHEHEHEH!"

Once Papyrus is out of sight, I collapse on the ground, laughing so hard my eyes stream tears. The crunch of snow under some skeletal feet then, "Are... you alright, child?"

I gasp for breath, pulling myself up. "It-it's Papyrus... he... ha!"

Gaster cocks his head, smiling uncertainly. "He's very 'cool' as people say today, yes?"

That just makes my laughing storm start up again. Gaster furrows his brow bone helplessly. "In any case," he continues once my laughter has settled down again, "he seems to be having fun. Thank you for that."

I clear my throat, wiping my eyes. I don't know why I found that so funny. Maybe because I really had been worried about absolutely nothing. Maybe because this skeleton duo is just so damn weird it's hilarious. Or maybe... this is what it's like... to have friends?

I don't know what suddenly brings up the question, but since Gaster is here I'll inquire. "What is he wearing?"

"Hm? Ah, he calls it his 'battle body'. He and my other nephew made it for a party of some sort some months ago and, from my understanding, he has refused to wear anything else since." Gaster hesitates before asking, "He _is_ the coolest, isn't he?"

I can't tell if it's a genuine question, coming from Gaster, but I can't keep the grin off my face. He certainly _looks_ completely serious. "Something like that."

I wave Gaster goodbye and head off after Papyrus. One puzzle at a time. Hopefully I can bear it.


	13. Chara

Chara

'His' the sign reads. I turn my head to the other sentry station. 'Hers'. I raise an eyebrow skeptically and go back down past the the little snowball golf course and down the path at the bottom. I don't know who those stations belong to, but I have a bad feeling about it. I stop in front of the pair of skeletons. Separating us is a box. Just a plain, empty cardboard box sitting open in the snow.

"HUMAN!" I tear my confused gaze from the box to Papyrus. This is gonna be good. "PREPARE TO BE CONFOUNDED BY..." Papyrus trails off, taking note of the box and jaw going slack. "GASTER! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE?"

"Right there. On the ground. The box?"

"UNCLE! WHY WOULD YOU MAKE THE PUZZLE A BOX?"

"That's the puzzle." Papyrus and I both stare at him, dumbfounded. "Trust me. There's no possibility that they can get past this one."

They both watch me intently. I frown, feeling suddenly uncomfortable under their scrutinizing gazes. Unsure what they me to do, I slink up and inspect the box. The small brown cube is only about 6 inches tall. I pick it up, looking inside and turning it upside down to confirm it's empty. I glance up uncertainly before shrugging and setting the box back down. I step past it and stop in front of the two.

"GASTER! THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"Ah, but look at the human's face. See how their browline is furrowed ever so slightly? See how their eyes are narrowed? They are infinitely confused. The puzzle has puzzled them."

I glance at Papyrus who shares an expression similar to that Gaster just described on my face. He spins away and out of view. Like literally, spins, kicking up snow and looking a little dizzy as he gets farther away. I giggle childishly at his silliness and glance at Gaster who's smiling. He catches my glance and shrugs helplessly before teleporting after Papyrus again.

I walk back over to the box, turning it over and sitting on top of it for a moment. Progress might be slow going here but at least I'm getting somewhere. I ponder Gaster and Papyrus _again_. Gaster might be awkward but he seems to have a good heart. Papyrus is just a complete dweeb, but he's still great and obviously not a threat. A pang of homesickness goes through me as I think of Toriel, then subsequently of the overworld. The original plan had been just to break the barrier so Toriel could come up with me. Now though, I have more that I'm sure would want to come up with me. Toriel, Gaster, and Papyrus. We could all go above ground together. I can't help but grin at the thought. Suddenly I'm filled with determination. I save my game, briefly remembering what Gaster told me about resets and everything really. The fact that he knows and doesn't seem to care still bothers me for some unexplainable reason. I sigh leaning back so that my head rests in the snow and I can look up at the roof of the cavern.

A face blocks my view and I yelp, bolting upright.

Staring back at me is a human child.

* * *

"W-who are you? What are you doing here?" I stutter in my best demanding voice. The little girl can't be older than than seven or eight. She flinches at my tone, brown shoulder-length hair swishing back to conceal half her face, and timidly clutching the hem of her green and white striped sweater. I sigh, calming myself and try again. "Sorry. I just haven't seen any trace of another human down here. Then I just bump into one..." I trail off, smiling softly at the girl as she slowly straightens up. "See? No harm done. So what's your name?"

"Chara." Her voice is a tiny whisper. I strain to hear it even though I can hear absolutely nothing else.

The name sounds familiar but I can't recall why. "Okay Chara. What are you doing down here?"

Her brown eyes grow until they're huge as saucers. "I-I don't remember."

I restrain myself from giving a hiss of annoyance. I don't let any of that frustration creep into my voice. "What do you remember?"

She frowns, hugging herself. "It was really dark... then I found myself sitting in the snow. I walked over here... and found you."

I return her frown. "Is that all?"

She hesitates before nodding. I eye her a little skeptically and she blushes furiously for some some reason. Probably cause she thinks I'm goggling her. "W-what's your name mister?" She inquires, probably to divert attention away from herself.

For a moment, I'm slightly taken aback as I realize I haven't even told anyone my name. Not even Toriel. "Frisk. It's nice to meet you Chara." The conversation lulls as we both stare at each other is obvious shock. Finally, I clear my throat. "What are you going to do now?"

She looks up at me and tentatively reaches for me with her right hand. I just stare at it. "C-can I go with you? I don't know what else to dooo..." Her voice is still soft, but it comes close to a wail and she bites her lip.

I blink down at her before springing into action. "S-sure! C'mon there's no need to cry! See, we're in a underground cavern right now and I'm going to break the barrier so I can free my friends." The reality of having to take care of this kid while I transverse the underground slams into my brain. I'll have to protect them from monsters. Maybe feed them. I look down at the hopeful look the kid's giving me and have to awkwardly rub the back of my head. I've already given my word and the way the girl's looking at me... I can't just leave her. Maybe I can get Gaster to take care of her until I find a way to break the barrier. I finally reach for her hand. We both stand there dumbly as my hand just phases through hers. Finally, I find my voice to spring back, a small scream tearing its way out. "W-what just happened?"

The girl pulls back, frightened. It's in that moment that I take her in fully. She looks... _faded_. Like she's been painted in watercolors while everything else is stark pastel. Right in the center of her chest a fractured red heart follows her every movement. She stares up at me, completely petrified. "I..."

"What happened to you?" The question comes out a little harsher than intended, and the girl flinches, face tightening.

She shakes her head helplessly. She scrunches up her nose in frustration as tears spill over. "I don't know! I can't remember!" She falls to her knees, burying her face into her hands and body racked with sobs.

I facepalm quietly. Great. Just had to go and make her cry, didn't I? "L-look it's gonna be okay. I promise." I uncertainly kneel in the snow next to her, taking note of how my knees sink into the white powder while hers do not. "We're gonna figure this out. I'll help you, don't worry. Come on, I'll fill you in on what's happening." I stand, almost offering her my hand before remembering that might not be the best idea.

She sniffles and wipes her nose, looking up at me with those huge watery eyes. "Are you sure?" I nod encouragingly. Her gaze focuses on something unseen before she sets her jaw and nods determinedly. She climbs to her feet. "Okay. I trust you."

I hold back a sigh as I turn and continue on, looking back every few steps to make sure Chara is keeping up. It's still slightly unsettling how her footsteps don't leave an imprint in the snow. Now if I trust myself to take care of her is the question...

* * *

"I don't think they can see me." Chara hisses to me, easily dodging a slicing, magical snowflake. I grunt in response as a snowflake comes from behind and slices through my soul.

Snowdrake makes some bad pun or other and I laugh. Once I've mercied him I turn to Chara who has her head cocked curiously at the fleeing Snowdrake. I sigh and flop down into a snowdrift. Chara sits beside me, looking down expectantly. "I have no idea what to even think anymore."

Chara giggles, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her sweater. She leans back, staring up at the cavern ceiling with me. After a while she glances back down. "Maybe it's because I'm just a soul? What you see is just a projection of my soul but nothing real."

I shrug, sitting up. Chara giggles again as snow flies off me in a flurry. "When we see him, I'll just ask Gaste-"

"No!" I'm cut off, mouth still open. Chara freezes. "I-I mean... I have a bad feeling about Gaster. Like it's something in the back of my mind that won't go away. I-I don't like Gaster."

I blink at her as she falls silent, considering. "Okay." I say before the silence gets too awkward. "I won't tell him. But what _do_ you want to do?"

Chara's quiet and I return to my contemplation of the ceiling. "Frisk." I turn my head to look at her. "I'm starting to... remember things."

I bolt upright, turning onto my knees excitedly. "Well? What's up? What do you remember?"

Chara looks away, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I remember waking up on golden flowers. A-and the feeling of determination." She looks back to me, frowning. "I don't know if that's very helpful."

I shake my head, standing. "More than we had before. Maybe you'll remember more as we go along." I stretch, yawning loudly. Man, I could really go for a nap right about now, but one glance at Chara and I know I couldn't just leave her out here while I dozed. "So, other monsters can't seem to see you, your soul seems very fragile, and you're slowly remembering things." I pause, brushing snow off my sweater. A thought pops suddenly into my head. "What happens to you if you get hit?"

Chara frowns, looking down at her soul. The little red heart glows softly, the cracks like a fine black spiderweb ensnaring it. "Um, well, I'm never really in battle like you. Maybe if I get hit... nothing will happen?"

I narrow my eyes, concentrating. "Let me..." We both jump as the world flickers to black and white around us. Chara stumbles to her feet, looking around wildly. She takes a sharp breath as she looks at me. "Heh, actually managed to do it. Alright let's see here, since I engaged you, it should be your turn."  
Chara blinks, tentatively tapping her soul like she's seen me do before. The glow grows weaker as the menu pops up along with her health bar, the real reason I did this. We both blink at what pops up. 0.00000001/99.

"W-wha... how..." I look up at her. Her eyes have gone distant and we stand there frozen. Eventually, Battle just fades, leaving us gaping at empty air. I'm the first to speak. "W-where did you get so much health? Why is your health a decimal?"

Chara's face tightens in the way that it does when she's confronting something. "I-I don't know."

We both stand there completely dumbstruck. I'm snapped out of it as I hear movement from behind me. I spin around, but it's just Gaster looking down at me with concern. "Child? Are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost." I fight the urge to glance at Chara.

"U-uh, yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. All this fighting is wearing me out. Don't worry about it."

Gaster looks down at me skeptically. Dammit why is this guy so perceptive? "I will trust you're telling the truth. Papyrus was getting worried that you were unwell, as was I. I am... glad to know you fine." Gaster has to fish for the word.

I manage a half smile. "Yeah I'm fine. I have a question." Gaster cocks his head. "How do you get more HP?"

Gaster does his blinking thing again. "Why?"

I shrug, doing my best to keep it nonchalant. "Thought it might be a little helpful. More health, harder to die, right?"

Gaster peers down at me, sockets slightly narrowed. I keep my face carefully curious, slightly uncomfortable. Finally he shakes his head. "Has your HP hit zero yet?"

I let out a mirthless laugh, remembering the first time it happened. I had figured after that fall that I shouldn't have survived, if my health reached zero I would keep living somehow. Indeed I had, respawning back at the last save point. Still it had been... _undesirable_ to say the least. Cold, painful, dark. Yeah, no, don't want to go through that. I haven't 'died' since I've met Chara and I'm suddenly anxious. What happens to her if that happens again? "Yeah."

"And you are still here. I see no reason to further your HP. You're doing fine as you are." Gaster says it in a way that makes it final. Okay, probably can't get it through the best means then. "I will get back to Papyrus. You should be on your way as well, I believe."

I turn back to Chara as he teleports away. She's hugging herself, staring down at her feet. "C'mon Chara. I'm sure we'll figure this out. Let's just keep moving for now and hope you remember some more, okay?"

She squeezes her eyes shut, nodding vigorously. I smile weakly, attempting to be encouraging. We both eventually turn and trod on.

* * *

 **(A/N):** _Hello peeps!_ I don't know why this text won't be normal, but it's whatever, italics are cool or whatever. Sorry for the lapse between chapters. I've had serious writer's block. I'm warning you right now, the beginning and end of this story has been thoroughly mapped out and I have the general skeleton of how I want the middle to play out, but the entire point of this story is the ending. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hate to write fluffy middles and there will probably be skips in the story after Snowdin since yall know the story of Undertale. As a sidenote, I should say I don't have serious writer's block. I've actually written a good portion of the ending cause I'm that excited about it. There will probably be longer breaks between chapters until I can stop being lazy and get middle chapters out there. Please don't hate me!Also (sorry for the uber long author note) thanks to the guy that favorited this story! I'm very grateful! I've been filled with determination!Oh gosh I'm such a nerd... 0_0 


	14. Battle with a Boss Monster

Battle with a Boss Monster

Snowdin is a cozy little town. While the Ruins had been the same stagnant color, Snowdin is a colorful painting broken up by paths of snowy, white canvas. My head is swiveling all over the place, taking in the store, the hotel, and the library. There are even child monsters running around in striped sweaters like mine. Chara seems anxious around all the new faces, even though they can't see her. She takes tentative steps, a pace behind me at all times, and hugging herself tightly.

As we stride through the town, I ponder my upcoming battle with Papyrus. Gaster warned me after the last 'puzzle', that Papyrus didn't actually activate, that after I left Snowdin, Papyrus would be waiting to fight me. Thing is, I don't want to kill him. And I don't think he wants to kill me. So what can I do?

"Are you okay, Frisk?"

I glance back at Chara, who is watching me curiously. I sigh and lead her over to a little outcropping next to a river. "Why do you ask?" I inquire once we're out of earshot.

"Well," Chara shuffles her feet in the snow and won't meet my gaze. "Those two dogs, you, well, you turned them to dust. Are you okay with that?"

I start. The guard dogs that had been madly in love. I was having a hard time dodging their attacks and didn't want to risk having to reset since I didn't know how it would affect Chara. So, I had killed them both. I fight to keep my breathing normal as I nod, smiling slightly at Chara. "I'm fine, don't worry. I just did what I had to do. If they didn't like that, they shouldn't have attacked me." Ohgodohgodohgodohgod. I killed two young lovers mercilessly, leaving their dust to blend with the snow. They had their entire lives in front of them; long lives with each other. Then I decided to come along and just murder them.

Chara cocks her head at me before a small grin splits her face. "Wow Frisk, you're really tough! I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Are," Chara hesitates, gulping. "Are you going to kill Papyrus?"

I drag myself back to reality, shoving the thoughts to the back of my mind. That's in the past. Here and now, Chara needs me, and she just asked me a question. I have to rewind in my head a little so I can figure out what she asked me. Right, Papyrus. Am I? "No." I reply firmly. As I speak, I become more and more sure of myself. "Papyrus won't kill me. Plus, he's goofy and fun to be around. I won't kill him. I'm sure I can find a way to spare him."

Chara's face is completely blank as I speak, and I wish I could tell what she was thinking. Wait, what am I thinking? Chara's like, seven. She's gonna trust whatever I say and go along with whatever I do. That's how little kids work, right?

"Good." She says finally, smiling. "I like Papyrus too."

* * *

"NOW YOU'RE BLUE," Papyrus announces, grinning, "THAT'S MY ATTACK."

Hmmm. Well this just got a little more interesting. I stare down at my royal blue soul. Experimentally I take a step back and find that my soul naturally follows my movements. Now my soul seems to be stuck to my chest. I bring myself back to the fight, considering my options. I fight the urge to groan as I think of how I flirted with him, hoping that it would end the fight. Oh God, at least Chara wasn't here to see that. I left her behind at the huge house at the end of town so she couldn't be caught in the crossfire of the battle. I opt for just hitting spare this time, remembering Toriel. Papyrus goes on to tell me of how he will become so much greater than he already is once he captures me. Then he attacks.

I sidestep the bone that's flung my way so that it doesn't hit my soul. The bone impales itself into my shoulder with a sickening crack as it splits the bone and cleaves cleanly through. I stagger forward, grasping my injured appendage with a gasp. Crimson blood spills down my arm and back, staining my new sweater red. My vision swims and I don't realize I'm on the ground until I notice the snow in front of me is being seeped with the color. My head suddenly feels like it's been stuffed with cotton, and I'm completely numb. _Shock_ , I think idly, wheezing. _My body's going into shock. This coupled with the cold-_

"FRISK!"

My eyes snap open at the call, but I can't summon up any worry over it. Why was I afraid again? What was there to be afraid of? There is only the warmth of the sticky liquid on my stomach and the creeping darkness. My eyes drift closed, my last glimpse that of a rosy-cheeked girl in a green sweater with tears brimming in her eyes.

* * *

 **(A/N):** Hello readers! Short chapter this time mostly because I need to talk to yall. Oh my gosh, the writer's block is real! Plus I'm still getting used to high school, being a freshman and all, so writing has been slow going the last few days. Ugh, poor excuses I know, but please understand! It might be a while before the next chapter is out.

Also, I've been thinking about my summary and title and have decided they're a little... misleading. I may change them both, so be aware of that. Though that still depends on if I can come up with something better. We'll see...

Thanks for reading! Really, I'm so happy that people like my story and are favoriting it. I'm glad I could write something you enjoy to read! But if you like my story, you should totally read Reset by Emotistic Optimistic. It's _so_ good. And the more I write this story, the more I realize I've taken a ton of inspiration from it. So, yes, if think my story is any good, or even if you don't, go read that because it's a masterpiece.

Later!


	15. Chat With a Bunny

Chat With a Bunny

A thick fog hangs in my head, a pleasant warmness seeping into my body. I give a content sigh, rolling over. I loved days like these. Out of the city, at the foot of the mountain where there was a soft patch of brown dirt in the sun. The sunlight warm, but not oppressive, waking me up at just the right time for summer time deals to start.

A hushed, frantic voice drags me out of my reminiscent thoughts as I remember I'm not in that peaceful meadow but an underground prison. I blink my eyes open, stretching with a jaw-cracking yawn. Gaster is pacing back and forth quietly to my right, eyes and hands glowing a soft green. He doesn't even notice as I sit up, continuing to mutter to himself, making strange motions with his hands. I watch curiously as the motions glide from one to the next, not unlike some of the sign language I've seen but vastly different. The room I'm in is relatively small with thick wooden beams stretching from floor to ceiling on my left. A glance confirms Chara is in here with me, chewing nonexistent fingernails nervously. She perks up when she sees me sitting up, a relieved smile finding its way onto her lips.

I inspect my shoulder, squeezing it a couple times, then rolling it. It's like it was never injured, not even a scar. I sigh softly, relishing in the warmth that still feels my limbs and makes my eyelids heavy. "Gaster," I croak. The old skeleton jumps, stopping. His hands continue to make their fluttering motions for another moment before that ceases to, and all that's left is the soft green glow. "What happened?"

He ignores my question for a moment as he kneels down and begins fretting over me, hands moving frantically again. "How are you feeling child? My healing magic has become rusty as of late, and I've it's been a very long time since I've even _seen_ a human, and-'

"Gaster," I cut him off, smiling slightly, "I'm _fine_ thanks. Though, I'm not quite sure how or what happened..."

Gaster pulls back, hands twitching as they lose their light, "Ah, yes, that. Well, I believe this has all been my error. Papyrus has never fought against anything... _alive_ before. He has practiced his magic on training dummies, but nothing that could ever be hurt by his attacks. Beyond that, I did not think it, and apparently he did not know either, that he is a boss monster. His attacks naturally will hurt both body and soul. I'm sorry I never thought of it. Though, I have healed your injury as best I could."

I roll my shoulder again before grimacing at the stains and two huge holes in my sweater. "Thanks. Sorry about the sweater."

Gaster blinks at me. "Do not be. I will get you a new one once you're all set to go fight Papyrus again. I have warned him about his attacks and now he will probably be more careful. Considering his panic when you collapsed and wouldn't wake up, it's likely that he'll use strictly magical attacks."

I look at him in bewilderment. "Papyrus was worried about me?"

Gaster makes an idle motion with his left hand before answering, "Yes?"

I frown. "Yes... question mark?"

Gaster sighs, hands falling to his lap. "Yes, he was worried about you, as was I."

I grin at the skeleton who smiles back nervously. "Well, I'm all better now thanks to you. Guess I should get back out there. After all," I jab my thumb over my shoulder, "looks like he made the bars too wide to stop anybody."

Gaster chuckles weakly, a slight smile sliding onto his skull. I leave, shivering at the sudden chill of Snowdin. I glance behind me to make sure Chara is with me, turning just in time to see her phase through the wall. She looks up at me, the relieved smile still stuck on her face. I glance to the path that leads to the boss monster I'm destined to fight, shuddering as I dimly remember the pain and the horrible crunch and slurp of my own body breaking. I stop myself, realizing I had begun rubbing my shoulder unconsciously.

I turn and head back into Snowdin. Surprise, surprise, I'm none too eager to face off with Papyrus again. Chara follows even closer than before, as if she thinks that if she gives me even an inch I'll get hurt again. I walk all the way back to the entrance, starting off by heading into the shop. The small business has a cozy feeling, warm and inviting, with relaxing music filling the place. A purple circular rug is laid carefully on the ground, the floor that is exposed made of shiny, planked wood. The walls are lined with shelves filled with every kind of goods necessary for a comfortable life, if not an exceptionally luxorious one. The shopkeeper- a plump bunny monster- watches my movements keenly, but not suspiciously. I browse a little, inspecting the knickknacks, the toiletries, enjoying some time to just sate my curiosity. Eventually, Chara moves away and starts looking around herself, moving behind the counter and checking things out there. Finally, I approach the monster behind the counter, starting when a menu pops into existence in front of me.

The shopkeeper's mouth quirks up into a half-smile, but only says, "Hello, traveler. How can I help you?"

I frown slightly as I take in my options before I tap Shop decisively and purchase a new sweater so Gaster won't have to. I go back to the main menu, pursing my lips and going with Talk this time. I grimace as even more options appear, suppressing a sigh as I start off with Say Hello.

The shopkeeper smiles fully and warmly. "Hiya! I can't remember the last time I saw a new face around here. Where did you come from? The capital? You certainly don't look like a tourist. Are you here by yourself? Where are your parents?"

I stiffen, locking eyes with the bunny. She blinks, surprised, at my reaction. I manage to tear my attention back to my menu, stifling another sigh as I push my anger down. It's not like she could know.

I ask about what to do here. She replies cordially, going on about Grillby's, the library, and the inn next door ran by her sister. "And if you're bored," she adds as a bit of an afterthought, "you can sit outside and watch those wacky skeletons do their things. There's two of them now. One used to be the royal scientist. Such a shame what happened. But the town has gotten a lot more interesting since everything, even if it was a tragedy."

I smile excitedly at the option that has replaced What to do Here- The Skeletons. I jab it, looking up giddily, curiosity consuming me.

Bunny raises an eyebrow at me. "Curious about the skeletons, are you? Truly sad what happened. The old royal scientist, W.D. Gaster, bought that house on the end years ago. It never saw much use though, since he was always working at the lab in Hotland. Then one day, two skeleton brothers moved in. Apparently, the one worked with Gaster and the other patrolled here, and they moved in for some reason. Then there was an accident at the lab and the brother that worked with Gaster 'fell down' as a result. The royal scientist resigned two days after and came back to live here with the remaining brother. Must have realized that there are more important things in life than his work, or maybe he felt guilty about what happened. Either way, he's here now and here to stay. Can't imagine what that must have been like. Skeletons are rare monsters and to lose one of your own kind when we only need one more human soul," Bunny shakes her head, slowly, eyes shut tightly, "really such a shame."

I swallow down the lump in my throat, staring at my options. Gaster's nephew died before the barrier was broken. He never got to see the sun or the stars or stare out at the mountains lining the horizon, reaching up into an impossibly blue sky. All they would have needed is one more soul- one more soul of a fallen human- and that would never have happened. I try to stave off the doubt seeping into my mind, but it worms its way in anyway. What if I can't break the barrier? If I leave the Underground a failure, I'll not only be leaving behind my only friends, but I'll also be condemning an entire species to another span of painstaking waiting. Can I bear that burden?

No. I can't. _But I don't need to._ I think, spurring myself into motion, filled with the familiar feeling and ignoring the save point that rises at it. _I_ will _break the barrier. I will._

I go on to ask her about the town history and her life. Her tone becomes bitter as she talks about the claustrophobia of it all, but I make a silent promise to her as she makes the doubts threaten me again. I will free her. I will free all the monsters trapped down here. And there will be nothing- not monsters, not people, not even hell or any of the demons it can spawn- that can stop me. I exit the shop, Chara in tow and my new sweater donned, filled to the brim with determination.

* * *

(A/N): So here it is. Finally. Yes, yes, you can thank me later *writes as I quietly facepalm at my incompetence*. Seriously though, I just now got inspired to write this and did this instead of my homework. My parents are going to kill me... but it'll be worth? :/

...

Definitely worth. :D

Thanks for reading!


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